Tennessee has already had two players transfer off the roster and another player declare early for the 2019 NFL Draft. On Friday, a third player announced his decision to transfer off the roster for next season.
According to college football media member Brett McMurphy, redshirt junior offensive lineman Drew Richmond is planning to transfer off the Vols’ roster.
Tennessee starting OT Drew Richmond is transferring, source told @WatchStadium
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 11, 2019
Richmond would’ve been a redshirt senior in 2019 for the Vols, but now he’ll be using his last year of eligibility elsewhere.
Though McMurphy doesn’t specify it in his tweet, Richmond is most likely a grad transfer and should be able to play immediately wherever he transfers. Richmond has been at Tennessee for four years, and it’s likely he already has his degree or will after this spring semester.
Richmond started all 12 games for the Vols this past season, playing at right tackle for all 12 games. He was the only UT offensive lineman to start every game at the same position. In his career at Tennessee, he accumulated 25 starts in 28 total games.
The 6-foot-5, 316-pound lineman came to Tennessee as a borderline five-star prospect in the Vols’ 2015 signing class. He played for Memphis University School and made headlines when he chose Tennessee over Ole Miss.
Richmond had high expectations when he came to UT, but he never really lived up to the hype. He redshirted during his freshman year in 2015, and he played in nine games and started six in his second year on campus in 2016. As a redshirt sophomore in 2017, Richmond only started seven games and missed time due to injuries.
Butch Jones brought Richmond in to play left tackle, but he didn’t perform well at that position in his first two years of playing there in 2016 and 2017. Jeremy Pruitt and Will Friend convinced Richmond to move to right tackle in 2018, and he showed improvement overall there, though he still had issues with false starts and consistent play.
Richmond joins quarterback Will McBride and cornerback Marquill Osborne as Vols to transfer off the roster this offseason. Linebacker Quart’e Sapp declared early for the NFL Draft this offseason as well.
We will update as more information becomes available.
